"Lizzy!" Jane gasped at the ghostly figure that slipped into her bedroom. "Whatever is the matter? Have you been crying?"
Though she had done her best to conceal the tell-tale markings of her despair, Elizabeth was clearly distraught. No one could discern the fact better than her sister, who'd known Elizabeth through all possible emotional states. The swollen circles underneath her eyes, the rosy lining above her upper lip, the fine net of red capillaries in the white of her eyes, the discreet sniffling all told Jane that Elizabeth was in pain.
"Jane, forgive me for leaving you here for so long," Lizzy said despondently. "I should have returned much sooner, but couldn't bear to face you in the condition I was in." Proud by nature, she would have never admitted to such weakness before anyone else but Jane.
"Has anything happened?" Jane said and sprung out of bed, the extra day of rest having improved her energy and fitness. She pulled her sister into a tight embrace and stroked her disheveled hair. "Do tell me all! Leave nothing out."
"Oh, Jane! I'm such a wretched fool."
Elizabeth quickly recounted what she'd learned from Luisa Hurst, as well as how this new knowledge affected all else she'd believed to be true.
"I wish we could just leave this place at once," she concluded, fighting another outburst of tears. "How insufferable that we haven't a carriage at our disposal and that good form doesn't allow us to simply slip out unnoticed."
"Elizabeth Bennet!" Jane snapped and shook her sister's shoulders gently. "Have you forgotten who you are? Clearly, I didn't realize that Mr Darcy had so swiftly claimed your heart, but you should not despair. If he is the man you describe him to be, fathering a secret child with Caroline Bingley out of wedlock and then proceeding to toy with your attentions, then he is not the least bit worthy of your time and tears. Remember how firm you were in your contempt towards him at the very beginning? Now pull on those initial feelings and raise your head high. We will weather one last dinner in this house and tomorrow we'll leave all of it behind."
Elizabeth was aware that Jane was right. Instantly, her misery was replaced with rightful anger. Not at Mr Darcy or Miss Bingley, but at herself and the spinelessness she'd let herself fall into. Yes, she could be captivated by a gallant, honorable Mr Darcy, but not by a deceitful, immoral one. As soon as she realized that she felt herself break free of the inconvenient attraction. Truly, Mr Darcy and Caroline Bingley deserved each other.
"You're much wiser than me, I must admit," she said with a crooked smile. "But what about you and Mr Bingley? Didn't you embark on this whole adventure to enjoy his company? You haven't had a single private word with him!"
"If Mr Bingley has any interest in me, I believe he knows where to find me. I don't need our mother's scheming to improve my chances with him."
It was quite disconcerting for Elizabeth to find that her older sister seemed to have switched identities with her. Jane was the rational, clear-headed, proud one now and Lizzy vowed to return to her former self, unaffected by the reckless palpitations of her misguided heart.
"Let's brave downstairs, shall we?" she asked. "With you in the room, dinner would be a much more bearable affair."
The two sisters had just changed into evening attire when they were summoned to the dining room. To her horror, Elizabeth was seated between Mr Hurst and Mr Darcy, while Jane took a seat next to Mr Bingley. After an effusive display of everyone's elation to see Jane recovered, the party settled down and quieter conversations started to take place between seat neighbors.
Desperate to avoid speaking to Mr Darcy, Elizabeth turned to Mr Hurst, who, she suspected, she didn't have a single point of interest in common with. Soon, her impressions were confirmed and after a few short grunts in response to the only questions she could think of asking him, Mr Hurst concentrated on his meal.
Elizabeth thought it wise to do the same, though she could feel Mr Darcy's eyes boring into her. Involuntarily, she shuddered.
Darcy had promised himself not to speak to Elizabeth Bennet. At least not in the congenial manner he'd afforded her thus far. He'd let go of his caution and now his peace was compromised.
After the riding accident the previous day, he'd thought of little else than Elizabeth's fine eyes, supple form, and sharp mind. He'd given himself in to these thoughts to the extent of experiencing physical pain at the inability to possess her.
Another thing that burdened him to no end was his inability to confide in anyone his secret admiration of the house guest. He'd had to satisfy his inner need to express his puzzling emotions by only briefly hinting at them in his letter to his sister, not that he'd expected her empathy, understanding or advice. By describing the quality of Elizabeth's eyes to the young Miss Darcy, he'd at least attempted to purge the vision of them from his mind.
Unsuccessfully.
On the other hand, he'd become increasingly aware of Miss Bingley's excessive attention to both him and Elizabeth Bennet. Caroline hadn't stopped teasing him or provoking Miss Elizabeth any chance she got and Darcy suspected he'd somehow managed to offend her. He had no explanation what the offense might constitute since there had never been anything but friendship between him and his closest friend's sister. He was convinced that she felt similarly.
Yet, in order not to give rise to superfluous tension, he'd elected to spend almost the entire day in her company to appease whatever petty womanly jealousies might be troubling her. He had learned that even in their capacity as mere friends, women expected time and attention and were easily distraught when they were feeling deprived. Especially on account of another woman.
His rather uneventful, even annoying morning taken up by leisurely strolls with Caroline in the garden had at least had one benefit. He had kept himself occupied, distracted and away from Miss Elizabeth. Not that he hadn't been wondering what she was doing at any given moment. He'd even caught himself craning his neck at every sound of another person approaching in the hopes that he'd accidentally meet her.
This had to stop.
Even now, at the dinner table, he could sense Elizabeth's uneasiness in her stilted attempts at conversation with Mr Hurst. His instinct was to jump in and save her from the need to discuss hunting gear and quail's nesting habits, a subject she was clearly poorly versed in. He managed to restrain himself, however, as he could feel Caroline's scrutinizing eyes following him.
Still, he could detect the faint scent of lily of the valley that Elizabeth's body exuded and it nearly made him lose track of the talk he'd been only half-heartedly taken part in.
A drink. That's what he needed to put his mind and body to rest. When he heard Bingley's offer to retire to the drawing room for a glass of brandy, he was relieved.
"Splendid!" he heard Caroline exclaim as if she'd been in dire need of a drink herself.
In fact, she busied herself like an industrious maid, pouring brandy for everyone and distributing glasses along with high-spirited encouragements for the party to sip faster. In her words, Jane's recovered health needed a proper celebration, but Darcy suspected that everyone was in need of unwinding.
Watching Elizabeth's cheeks turn rosy with warmth from the alcohol practically made him count the hours until he'd be free of her presence. He could handle a day of restraint, but not much longer and as a man well aware of his interests, he was not going to allow a country girl obliterate everything he'd believed about himself.
"Mr Darcy," Caroline said, "you seem awfully withdrawn. I thought brandy was supposed to loosen people. Shall I pour you another?"
Darcy pictured himself drunk. Lacking his clear senses, he'd be crawling to Elizabeth's side in no time. He'd be professing feelings and demanding to know how she felt about this and that. No, it was out of the question.
"Thank you, Caroline, but I've had enough for the evening."
"You mean to offend our dear Jane by refusing to raise a glass for her health?"
"Surely not," Darcy said gloomily and extended his hand to let Caroline top his glass.
